01/16/2014

Seeking 15 MALE "Extras" for the new movie SONS & DAUGHTERS OF THUNDER (ages 18-30) to play Lane students sitting in a convocation. You will need to come dressed in black/dark pants, black/dark dress shoes, dark suit jacket and white collared shirt. Call time is 8:30A-4:30P on Saturday, January 18 in Andover, IL. While the “extra” role is non-union and non-paid, we are grateful for your contribution to this project. Extras will receive screen credit and a copy of the DVD when released. The film will be released in 2015 with screenings at film festivals, art theaters, PBS stations and a DVD release. For this special opportunity, please email us at fourthwallfilms@aol.com with your name, phone number, acting experience and attach a photo.

We will also be casting 25-30 MEN & WOMEN (18+) as Extras for crowd scenes to be shot in February. No acting experience necessary. Contact casting director kim@thecurtainbox.com if you are interested in being considered for the February filming in Andover, Illinois for SONS & DAUGHTERS OF THUNDER!

01/03/2014

Harriet Beecher (Jess Denney) and Theodore Weld (Thomas Alan Taylor) in a scene shot at the Dillon Home Museum in Sterling, Illinois for Sons & Daughters of Thunder.

A little-known turning point in slavery in America is the subject of a new docudrama being filmed in the area, featuring an impressive cast of Q-C actors.

"Sons & Daughters of Thunder" takes place in 1834 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and depicts the first public discussions of the abolition of slavery in the United States. The shocking oratory at Lane Seminary sparked intense controversy and awakened a young Harriet Beecher Stowe to the horrors of slavery.

The feature film -- based on a 1970s play by Earlene Hawley (who now lives in Waverly, Iowa) and Curtis Heeter -- is written by the husband-and-wife team of Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Moline-based Fourth Wall Films, who have made award-winning documentaries. This is their first narrative movie, with Kelly directing and Tammy producing.

Co-producer Kent Hawley and Thunder playwright Earlene Hawley.

" 'Sons of thunder' is a Biblical phrase, and because of the role of Harriet in the story, the narrative version emphasizes that," Mr. Rundle said. "Harriet does write the book, literally, that changes history."

In 1852, Stowe's anti-slavery novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was published as a two-volume book and was a best seller all over the world, translated into over 60 languages. The novel was described by President Lincoln as the book that started the Civil War.

"The playwright makes the argument that Harriet was so moved and influenced by what went on at Lane Seminary and by the writings of Weld later on it prompted her to write 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' and it literally changed the course of the nation," Mr. Rundle said.

Behind the scenes--setting up for a shot with Weld, Calvin Stowe (Daniel Rairdin-Hale) and Harriet Beecher.

Weld -- who virtually is forgotten today -- was best known for his work "American Slavery As It Is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses." He founded Lane Seminary in 1833, attended in his 30s and became leader of the "Lane Rebels," a group of students determined to engage in free discussion of the abolition of slavery.

A series of debates was held over 18 days in 1834, and when the school's board prohibited students from discussing slavery, over half (more than 60) of the students left Lane for Oberlin College, near Cleveland, which then admitted African-Americans and allowed free discussion of the issue.

Click here Dispatch-Argus to read the rest of Jonathan Turner's story on Sons & Daughters of Thunder.

12/11/2013

Actress Jessica Denney has caught the Harriet Beecher Stowe bug and immersed herself in books, articles, short stories, poems, journals and letters written by the remarkable woman she is portraying in Sons & Daughters of Thunder. The talented Denney has been cast in the lead as the young 23-year-old Harriet Beecher during her formative years at Lane Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Harriet Beecher Stowe would go on to publish more than 30 books, among them her anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, which, according to the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, "catapulted her to international celebrity and secured her a place in history."

The docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder is being produced by the Emmy® nominated documentary filmmaking husband-and-wife-team Kelly & Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, and Kent Hawley (Lane Rebels, Ltd.). The feature film is based on the award-winning play by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter, and tells the unforgettable true story of the beginning of the end of slavery in America.

"Because of her research and in-depth understanding of this significant American writer and abolitionist, Jess captures Harriet's charm and determination to make a difference in her time," said producer Tammy Rundle.

Film and stage actress Jessica Denney graduated from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa with Bachelor's degrees in Radio/TV Production and Journalism with a minor in Theater. She appeared in the premiere of Crème de Coco directed by Broadway director Philip William McKinley, and theatrical productions of Mr. Marmalade and Time Stands Still. She is a founding member of the QC Theatre Workshop where she performed in the plays Private Eyes, boom, the world premiere of the acclaimed A Green River, and most recently a stellar portrayal as Li’l Bit in the Pulitzer Prize winning play How I Learned To Drive. Jessica has also appeared in a number of independent films including the award-winning A Cadaver Christmas which showed on Showtime, and Call Me Crazy.

Harriet Elisabeth Beecher was born in Litchfield, Connecticut in 1811 to Presbyterian minister Lyman Beecher and Roxana (Foote), who died when Harriet was five. Among her 11 siblings were her notable sister, Catharine Beecher, who was an educator and author, and her brothers Henry Ward Beecher, who became a famous abolitionist, and ministers Charles Beecher, and Edward Beecher.

While in her early 20s, Harriet moved to Cincinnati, Ohio to join her father, who had become the president of Lane Theological Seminary. It was there she encountered the passionate abolitionist Theodore Weld, and her future husband Calvin Ellis Stowe, a widower and professor at the seminary.

Eighteen years later, in 1852, Harriet's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was published as a two volume book and was a best seller in the United States, Britain, Europe, Asia, and was translated into over 60 languages.

"I wrote what I did because as a woman, as a mother, I was oppressed and broken-hearted with the sorrows and injustice I saw, because as a Christian I felt the dishonor to Christianity - because as a lover of my country, I trembled at the coming day of wrath," wrote Harriet.

Principal photography for Sons & Daughters of Thunder begins December 14, 2013 and will continue through July of 2014 in Illinois, Iowa, Ohio and Connecticut. The film is slated for release in 2018.

11/23/2013

It is fitting to announce on this special day that lauded actor Thomas Alan Taylor will play the lead role of Theodore Weld in the historical docudrama Sons & Daughter of Thunder. Today, November 23, 2013, marks the 210th birthday of Weld, the man considered to be the "Architect of Abolition".

"Theodore Weld's tireless efforts to bring about the end of slavery in the U.S. consumed his limitless energies for nearly fifty years," said Martha Good, a member of Friends of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in Cincinnati, Ohio. "He led the effort to organize and energize the Abolition Movement more than 30 years before the American Civil War."

Produced by Emmy® nominated documentary filmmakers Kelly & Tammy Rundle, and Kent Hawley (Lane Rebels, Ltd.), Sons & Daughters of Thunder is based on the award-winning play by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter, and tells the unforgettable true story of the beginning of the end of slavery in America.

"We could not be more pleased to have Thomas Alan Taylor taking on the demanding role of Theodore Weld," director Kelly Rundle said. "During his audition, he instinctively caputured the energy and passion of Weld's spiritual mission and drive to end slavery in America."

Thomas Alan Taylor began pursuing acting while studying at the University of Iowa, where he performed in 5 world premieres including Akaraui (winner of the IRAM award) and Angel Bones (O'Neill playwright's conference selection), both written by Jen Silverman. He performed at the Quad Cities' Circa '21 and the New Ground Theatre, before helping spark the new QC Theatre Workshop, where his roles included Ken in Red, Matthew in Private Eyes, Jules in boom and Erik White in the world premiere of Green River by Aaron Randolph III. He directed the acclaimed How I Learned to Drive at the QC Theatre Workshop, Treasure Island at Davenport Junior Theatre, and co-produced Lessons in Love at Davenport Junior Theatre and Love, Girl's Magazine. He currently is set to reprise his role of Erik White in Green River at Augustana College in December, directed by Phillip Wm. McKinley (Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark; Boy from OZ).

Theodore Weld was a writer, editor, speaker, and organizer, best known for his work American Slavery As It Is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses. Weld found the location and faculty for Lane Theological Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1833. He attended the seminary and became the leader of the "Lane Rebels," a group of students determined to engage in free discussion of the abolition of slavery, among other topics. A series of debates on slavery were held over 18 days in 1834, resulting in a decision to support abolitionism and a pledge to help 1500 free blacks in Cincinnati. When the school's board of directors prohibited them from discussing slavery, over 2/3 of the students left Lane Seminary, with most enrolling at the new Oberlin Collegiate Institute. Harriet Beecher Stowe partly based her popular book Uncle Tom's Cabin on Theodore Weld's American Slavery As It Is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses. Weld remained dedicated to the abolitionist movement until slavery was ended by the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1865.

Major production for Sons & Daughters of Thunder begins in December and will run through May of 2014. Production will take place in Illinois, Iowa, Ohio and Connecticut. The film is slated for release in 2017.

11/08/2013

Acclaimed Quad City actor Mike Schulz has been cast in the role of Asa Mahan in the new docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder.

Produced by Emmy® nominated documentary filmmakers Kelly & Tammy Rundle, and Kent Hawley (Lane Rebels, Ltd.), Sons & Daughters of Thunder is based on the award-winning play by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter, and tells the unforgettable true story of the beginning of the end of slavery in America.

"We have long had our eye on Mike Schulz for this project, as he is such an exceptional actor. His audition as Asa Mahan was exactly what we were looking for," director Kelly Rundle said. "We are very excited to have Mike involved in Sons & Daughters of Thunder and we look forward to his interpretation and portrayal of Mahan, a significant figure in the Lane Rebels' story."

A native of Crystal Lake, Illinois, Mike Schulz has enjoyed extensive stage experience over the years, performing in more than 40 plays and musicals since 1995. Among his theatre credits are productions of RED (Mark Rothko), How I Learned to Drive (Uncle Peck), Speed-the-Plow (Bobby Gould), Hedda Gabler (George Tesman), 'Art' (Serge), Cyrano de Bergerac (Comte de Guiche), Time Stands Still (Richard), Fool for Love (Martin), The Rover (Ned Blunt), Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Napthali), and The Nutcracker (Drosselmeyer). Schulz serves as the Arts Editor for Davenport, Iowa's independent newspaper the River Cities' Reader, and although Sons & Daughters of Thunder marks his first appearance in a feature film, it's not the first film he's seen – Schulz has been the paper's resident movie reviewer for more than 18 years.

Asa Mahan, a Presbyterian minister, served as a member of the Board of Trustees at Lane Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio during the antislavery Lane debates in 1834. When a number of seminary students favored immediate emancipation and condemned the efforts of colonization, the Lane trustees and faculty prohibited all further antislavery discussion. A large majority of the students, known thereafter as the "Lane Rebels", left the seminary for Oberlin Collegiate Institute in Oberlin, Ohio. Asa Mahan was the lone dissenter among the Lane trustees and was asked to become Oberlin’s first president. Mahan agreed, so long as Oberlin guaranteed freedom of speech and a promise to admit African Americans as students to the institution.

Major production for Sons & Daughters of Thunder begins in December and will run through May of 2014. Production will take place in Illinois, Iowa, Ohio and Connecticut. The film is slated for release in 2017.

10/21/2013

The challenging task of casting the new docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder is complete. Casting Director Kimberly Furness began holding auditions for 15 lead roles in July and finalized decisions with the producers in October.

"It was a grueling process, because we had so many exceptional actors audition for the film. We are very pleased with those we have cast in the project to bring this true story to life," said Furness.

Produced by Emmy® nominated documentary filmmakers Kelly & Tammy Rundle and Kent Hawley (Lane Rebels, Ltd.), Sons & Daughters of Thunder is based on the award-winning play by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter, and tells the unforgettable true story of the beginning of the end of slavery in America.

The cast of Sons & Daughters of Thunder will gradually be revealed.

The first cast member to be announced is actor Anthony Stratton who will play the role of James Thome. Lane rebel James A. Thome was the son of a wealthy Kentucky slaveholder who attended Lane Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio and took part in the historic 1834 Lane debates. Thome became a passionate abolitionist, causing his father to disown him.

"Anthony's audition for the role of Thome was very exciting and we are thrilled to have him cast in this important role in Sons & Daughters of Thunder," producer Tammy Rundle said.

Chicago actor Anthony Stratton is a recent graduate of St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa where he finished his Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre. Anthony was recently titled the 2013 Regional Irene Ryan Award Winner for Best Actorof Region 5 (1st of 325) by KCACTF in representation of Ambrose. Anthony has appeared on NBC’s Chicago Fire, in independent short films, several student short films, and was recently invited to audition for the supporting-lead, Uriah, in Summit Entertainment’s film, Divergent, featuring Kate Winslet and Shailene Woodley.

Major production for Sons & Daughters of Thunder begins in December and will run through May of 2014. Production will take place in the Quad City area, Cincinnati, Ohio and Hartford, CT. The film is slated for release late 2017.

07/09/2013

Sons & Daughters of Thunder moves ahead with Kimberly Kurtenbach Furness signed on as the casting director for the new docudrama. Auditions for key roles in the movie are planned for Friday, July 26, 2013 5pm-7pm in the Quad Cities area.

"We are thrilled to have Kim, who is an incredibly gifted and talented artist, involved in this exciting film project," said producer Tammy Rundle. "We are looking forward to the next phase of Thunder, and her expert recommendations on who to cast in the main roles of the movie."

Sons & Daughters of Thunder was written by esteemed playwright Earlene Hawley of Waverly, Iowa, with the assistance of writer Curtis Heeter. The film is produced by Emmy® nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films. Kent and Earlene Hawley are Executive Producers on the project.

The dramatic story is set in 1834 at a time when polite discussions about abolishing slavery were considered inappropriate among Americans in Northern states. An eighteen-day public student-sponsored debate on the divisive subject at Lane Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio was organized by Theodore Weld, one of the architects of the abolitionist movement. The shocking oratory sparked intense controversy and awakened a young Harriet Beecher Stowe to the horrors of slavery.

The school trustees ultimately slapped a gag order on the pro-abolitionists--thereafter dubbed the "Lane Rebels"--which induced most of the students to leave the school in collective protest. Years later, Harriet's novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was written.

Furness became interested in the project early on when she organized and hosted a reading of the screenplay in August 2011 at her Curtainbox Theatre Co. rehearsal studio in Davenport, Iowa.

An acclaimed actress and director on stage, in television and film for over 20 years, Kim's work extends from the Quad Cities to Chicago and Los Angeles. She is an alma mater of The Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music in Ohio and St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa where she received her BA in Theatre and Mass communications. She has performed in over 60 stage plays, 8 films, and numerous commercials. She currently divides her time between Los Angeles and the Quad Cities, acting, screenwriting, casting and directing.

Production on Sons & Daughters of Thunder will take place beginning in late September/early October 2013 through March 2014. Those interested in audition information/details may contact Kim Furness at Kim@thecurtainbox.com.

The Rundles' much anticipated documentary Movie Star: The Secret Lives of Jean Seberg (co-produced with Emmy-nominated writer Garry McGee), will have its World Premiere at the Orpheum Theatre Center in Seberg's hometown of Marshalltown, Iowa where her first film, Saint Joan, premiered in 1957.

If you are interested in supporting Sons & Daughters of Thunder, tax-deductible contributions for production and post-production can be made via the project's fiscal sponsor, The Shell Rock Historical Society. Make out your check payable to "Shell Rock Historical Society-Thunder Film" and mail it to: Fourth Wall Films, P.O. Box 702, Moline, IL 61265.

The Shell Rock Historical Society will forward a receipt for your contribution by mail, and your name(s) will be gratefully acknowledged in the film's credits and on the film's website. For more information, please feel free to email fourthwallfilms@aol.com.

06/14/2013

Actor Mark Winn flew into the Quad Cities International Airport from Los Angeles the first weekend of April, after months of preparation for his role as 'Frederick Douglass' in the new historical docudrama Sons & Daughters of Thunder.

Frederick Douglass.

"I really enjoyed prepping for this portrayal and the project. For me it meant a lot of historical research and reading on Frederick Douglass," said Winn, a film, television and stage actor in Los Angeles, California. "I had to put myself into a 19th-century frame of mind as best I could. It was very challenging and exciting!"

Sons & Daughters of Thunder, produced by Emmy® nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films, is based on the award-winning play by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter, and tells the unforgettable true story of the beginning of the end of slavery in America.

Pre-production on the project began in late 2011 with the completion of the screenplay and a special read-through by fifteen professional actors gathered at the Curtainbox Theatre Co. rehearsal studio in Davenport, Iowa. Co-producers Kent and Earlene Hawley took part in the event. Thunder's casting director Kimberly Furness hosted the reading and is currently preparing to cast major parts for the film.

Filming at the Harriet Beecher Stowe house in Cincinnati, Ohio on Lane Seminary grounds.

Preliminary filming for the project was done in Cincinnati, Ohio at the Harriet Beecher Stowe House and the old Lane Seminary grounds, as well as in areas in Kentucky and Illinois.

The Director of Photography for Sons & Daughters of Thunder is award-winning documentary filmmaker Kevin Railsback of Filmmaking Naturally.

Director Kelly Rundle and Director of Photography Kevin Railsback.

"Mark Winn is exceptional in the role of Frederick Douglass," said Director Kelly Rundle. "All of us were riveted as he walked into place, dressed in his early 1800s suit, his appearance transformed and Douglass' powerful words delivered to perfection."

Mark prepares for his scenes as Frederick Douglass in Sons & Daughters of Thunder.

"The biggest challenge for any independent film project is finding funding," said producer Tammy Rundle. "But it's moments like this, when you see excellent cast and crew working together to bring a story to life, that you feel the challenge is worth it."

Before heading back to the West Coast, Mark Winn celebrated his birthday in Springfield, Illinois at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. There, standing before the replica White House entrance is a wax figure of Frederick Douglass and African-American abolitionist Sojourner Truth.

Mark stood eye-to-eye with Frederick Douglass--their height exact and their expressions matched. The striking similarity was enough to draw people over to talk with the actor. As a volunteer snapped pictures, she asked Mark if he was related to Frederick Douglass.

Mark poses with Lincoln Museum staff.

"No," he answered. "I'm just a great admirer and proud to portray him in Sons & Daughters of Thunder."

Production on Sons & Daughters of Thunder continues in the autumn and winter months of 2013/2014. The film will be released in 2014.

If you are interested in supporting Sons & Daughters of Thunder, tax-deductible contributions for production and post-production can be made via the project's fiscal sponsor, The Shell Rock Historical Society. Make out your check payable to "Shell Rock Historical Society-Thunder Film" and mail it to: Fourth Wall Films, P.O. Box 702, Moline, IL 61265.

The Shell Rock Historical Society will forward a receipt for your contribution by mail, and your name(s) will be gratefully acknowledged in the film's credits and on the film's website. For more information, please feel free to email us at fourthwallfilms@aol.com.

Emmy® nominated filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle of Fourth Wall Films joined their award-winning Director of Photography Kevin Railsback (of Filmmaking Naturally) in March to film tests at the location. Actor Jaylen Marks, a student at Augustana College, auditioned during the test and stood in for the part of Frederick Douglass.

Augustana College student/actor Jaylen Marks auditions and stands in for a test for Thunder.

The Karpeles Manuscript LibraryMuseum is the world’s largest private collection of original manuscripts and documents. The library was founded in 1983 by David and Marsha Karpeles, with the goal of stimulating interest in learning, especially in children. The Rock Island museum was formerly a Christian Science Church, designed by architect William C. Jones of Chicago in the Palladian style.

The Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum is located at 700 22nd St Rock Island, Illinois and is open Tuesday through Saturday 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Admission is free.

Sons & Daughters of Thunder, a new film based on the award-winning play by Earlene Hawley and Curtis Heeter, tells the unforgettable true story of the beginning of the end of slavery in America. The film is slated for release in 2014.